OPTION TWO, PLAN B, REVISED (ALTERNATE)
Last
weekend, Christy and I met up with Myron and Dorcas to walk the dogs. Well, technically the goal was to go hiking,
but when Boone and Matilda get together, everything seems to revolve around
them!
I
initially came up with three route suggestions for our hike. Reaction to those options can best be
described as either indifference, or extreme open-mindedness. Since nobody expressed a preference by
Saturday evening, I settled on the third option – an exploratory hike in
Linville Gorge.
It
wasn’t until we were on the road Sunday morning that Christy admitted that the
Linville Gorge hike was her least-favorite option. Sigh.
After we met Myron, Dorcas, and Matilda in Hickory, I had Christy drive
while I scrambled to come up with a backup plan. Option #1 was no longer in consideration, as
it would’ve required a long drive from Hickory.
So I reverted to option #2 – a hike to Woods Mountain. We had hiked Woods Mountain a couple of times
before, but I had something a little more adventurous in mind. DeHart’s guidebook
gives a two-sentence description of the Armstrong Creek Trail, which starts at
the Armstrong Creek fish hatchery below Little Switzerland and climbs up to Buck
Creek Gap. At the gap, it joins the
Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which continues out to Woods Mountain. I decided we’d give this route a try. I was curious about Armstrong Creek, as I’d
never been there before. Plus, I knew
there were a couple of good views on the way out to Woods Mountain, so if we
made it up there, our efforts would be rewarded.
Myron
and Dorcas were following us, but they had no idea where we were going. I thought about taking advantage of this situation
for some entertainment, but time was dragging on, and I was ready to get on the
trail. We drove up through Marion and
Woodlawn, before heading up 226A towards Little Switzerland. The turn to the fish hatchery was
well-marked, and we continued up the Armstrong Creek valley. The highlight of the drive was a hand-made
sign along the roadside that said “NO TRUSPASN”. At least I’m pretty sure that’s how it was
spelled! I meant to get a photo of it on
the way back out, but I completely forgot to stop.
We
passed not one, but two trout hatcheries, before reaching the end of the road
at a gate and a small parking area. There
were no signs to indicate a trail, but a jeep road continues beyond the gate,
and it was blazed yellow. We figured
that was it, so we gathered our gear and the dogs and headed up the trail.
We
only walked about 5 minutes before we reached the first creek crossing. Immediately we realized that we were going to
have problems completing the hike.
Several inches of rain had fallen on Thursday and Friday, and the water
was definitely up. Rock-hopping wasn’t
an option, and DeHart’s guide promised 7 more
crossings beyond this one. There was an
old, rotten log spanning the creek, but we knew we probably wouldn’t get that
lucky 7 more times. To make matters
worse, I had forgotten my trusty stick, which is extremely valuable on creek
crossings. In fact, my stick was only
one of several key items I’d left behind.
We’d brought soup in a thermos for lunch, but I’d forgotten bowls and
spoons. Boone’s water dish had also been
overlooked, along with the insoles for my boots. Dayhiking really doesn’t require much
gear. It’s a good thing we weren’t
backpacking this weekend!
Once
upon a time, we would’ve waded the creek without
hesitation. These days though, were
definitely older, if not wiser. With
temps in the 30’s, nobody wanted to get wet.
After a brief debate, we decided to return here in warmer or drier
weather to make another attempt at Woods Mountain.
We
returned to the cars and reconsidered our options. I spontaneously suggested a hike to Toms
Creek Falls near Woodlawn. Christy and I
had been there years earlier, but it would be a new one for Myron and
Dorcas. Another guidebook I have
suggests that the hike is a 2-mile roundtrip.
That wasn’t much, but I knew there was an old logging road nearby. I figured we could hike to the falls and then
get in some extra miles walking the road (up towards Woods Mountain,
ironically).
We
drove back out to 226A, and I made a spontaneous change in plans. Instead of turning right towards Woodlawn, I
had Christy go left, up the mountain.
This must have puzzled Myron and Dorcas, but they’re good sports. They followed along behind us, as we wound
our way up to Little Switzerland. At the
top of the mountain, I was relieved to find the Parkway open. This was fortunate, as there was a dusting of
snow in places, along with some ice along the road. After a few miles on the Parkway, we arrived
at the Crabtree Meadows campground. The
campground is closed in the winter, so we parked near the gate for a hike to
Crabtree Falls.
Myron
had never been to Crabtree Falls, and Dorcas, Christy, and I hadn’t been there
in years. It was breezy and cold in the
parking area, so we hustled up the road and through the campground. We eventually found our way to the actual
trailhead, where the sign indicated that the hike would be strenuous. This drew some grumbling, as I had promised
everyone an easy hike. At this point,
Myron and I had to try to explain that the Park Service operates on a different
scale from us. I suppose the hike to the
falls could be strenuous, if you hiked it in flip flops while carrying a toddler
on your back. By any other standards
though, this is an easy hike.
We
took the short end of the loop to the falls, as we were all ready for
lunch. We descended to a bridge over
Crabtree Creek, right at the base of the falls.
The view from here was great, and we stopped there for lunch. Fortunately, Christy had picked up some
plastic spoons from a gas station before we met up with Myron and Dorcas. Before eating though, I spent some time
taking photos. Crabtree Falls is one of
the nicest waterfalls in the area, and the cloudy skies offered good
photographic conditions.
After
lunch, we hiked up out of the gorge. The
best vantage for photos turned out to be a short distance up the trail. So we stopped again, and I even attempted
some group shots. Oh, the folly of trying to use a slow shutter speed with 3 people
and 2 puppies in the picture!
From
there, we hiked high above the creek. We
passed some minor cliffs featuring dozens of icicles. Beyond, we rejoined the creek and wandered
upstream, passing a natural rock slide.
As we hiked, Boone and Matilda played.
They spent most of the day chasing each other around in circles. Christy and I thought this was wonderful, as
Boone’s behavior seems to improve with fatigue!
Before long, we found ourselves back in the campground. We ended up walking most of it. Christy and I wanted to get some additional
exercise, and Myron and Dorcas was scouting it out for future car camping.
We
returned to our cars by early afternoon.
Since it was still early, we decided to stop at Tom’s Creek Falls on the
way home. When we reached the creek, we
found a new trailhead parking area under development. This was a bit of a surprise, as Tom’s Creek
Falls isn’t very well known (despite being only a few miles from Marion). We hiked the trail upstream to the
falls. The walk only took about 10
minutes, so I don’t think it was a full mile one-way. Oh well, at least the falls were worth the
visit! With the water up, the falls were
an impressive site. I definitely
recommend checking this waterfall out if you’re in the area. Just try to go after a good rain.
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